Capacity Building Programme – Fundraising Module in Hungary

©EPF

The fundraising module in Hungary finished in early 2016 with very positive feedback from participants. Attendees welcomed the new approach, which led to the development of practical tools and activities that will be used to further the work of their organisations.

The Capacity Building Programme (CBP) combines different training approaches and activities, to ensure that participating organisations have opportunities to develop and use skills in a way that best benefits their work. Each participating organisation used the opportunities provided in different ways. Some organisations developed concrete fundraising tools, such as fundraising project plans and messages, and others used the skills and knowledge acquired during the training to strengthen the implementation of their activities.

All organisations worked hard to complete the training activities. Two examples of how organisations are using their skills and tools are provided by the Hungarian Alliance Hungarian Alliance of Patients’ Organisations and the Hungarian Federation of People with Rare and Congenital Diseases:

  • ·         Hungarian Alliance of Patients’ Organisations

The Hungarian Alliance of Patients’ Organisations (HAPO) was founded in 2013 by 12 patient organisations as a truly grassroots alliance to represent the interests of patients at national level, and to cooperate with like-minded stakeholders at European and international level. HAPO is a member of EPF and joined the Capacity Building Programme for this thematic training.

Due to limited resources, HAPO’s work is conducted by volunteers with the support of member organisations. Consequently, the thematic training on fundraising was very timely. The module allowed the Alliance to focus on the organisation’s purpose and to collect ideas for activities, as well as to develop tools, such as a project plan and a fundraising strategy.

HAPO’s is a new organisation and these tools will be helpful in supporting the work of the organisation. It is hoped that in the long-term the tools developed will ease the organisation’s fundraising work.

  • ·         HUFERDIS, ‘Tolerance Fits You Well’ Campaign

The Hungarian Federation of People with Rare and Congenital Diseases (HUFERDIS) organised on 13 March a fashion show to raise awareness for rare diseases. The slogan of the campaign was ‘Tolerance suits you well’.

The idea behind the campaign was to highlight the common keywords between rare diseases and the world of fashion, such as rare, special and unique. HUFERDIS published a tender calling on young fashion designers to create outfits that reflected these common surfaces.

Some very practical knowledge acquired through the training module on fundraising was used to manage the campaign, from coordinating volunteers to identifying and establishing pro-bono contributions from supporters.

The campaign achieved a remarkable media coverage. The biggest TV channel of Hungary was present at the fashion show and the campaign reached out to more than 250.000 people. To learn more about the campaign please check out the video of the fashion show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEtqVhKab4M

A new training module will be launched in Hungary in the second half of 2016. Following a consultation with participating organisations, the training will focus on communication. For more information about the programme activities please have a look at our dedicated webpage.

Contact: Walter Atzori, Director of Programmes and Operations.